Review Final Fight 3 (Wii Virtual Console / Super Nintendo)
Is the third time the charm?
Review Street Fighter Alpha 3 (Game Boy Advance)
Street Fighter returns! Bigger and better!
News - January, 2010
Saturday30th Jan 2010
Review Endless Ocean 2: Adventures of the Deep (Wii)
What lurks beneath?
2007’s Endless Ocean was a true original: a diving game that made little attempt to be a game, basing most of its gameplay around just touching fish. As part of the Touch Generations range it clearly appealed to enough aspiring divers to merit a sequel, but it’s certainly changed from the inviting warm waters of the Manaurai...
First Impressions Moyasu Puzzle Flametail
One-third of MaBoShi reborn on DSiWare
If you've played 3-in-1 WiiWare game MaBoShi, then you'll recognise Moyasu Puzzle Flametail as the "Square" game -- you know, the one that wasn't played with a single button press? The gameplay in Flametail is largely the same as MaBoShi's Square, but there have been some graphical enhancements and...
Friday29th Jan 2010
News Pikachu-Coloured Pichu Westward Bound
US and UK get a chance to nab rare ’mons
Way back when Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver was announced in Japan it also turned out a special Pichu was being released for Pokémon Diamond, Pearl and Platinum owners to download. The li’l fella is transferable to HeartGold and SoulSilver and will trigger an event to unlock another special Pichu in...
First Impressions Legends of Exidia
We get to grips with Gameloft's miniature epic
Earlier this week Nintendo Life was cordially invited to Gameloft's London office for a hands-on of their latest adventure for DSiWare, Legends of Exidia, which has now been released in the European shop. Gameloft is developing something of a reputation as the most ambitious developers in the download...
Nintendo Download 2nd & 3rd February 2010 (Japan)
WiiWare catch-up, a couple MSX ports and a sprinkling of DSiWare in Japan next week
The slow start to the year continues to be slow, but at least there's some quality releases to be had. WiiWare: Excitebike World Race (1000pts - Nintendo) – Better late than never for this well received update to the Famicom classic. Virtual Console: Quarth (800pts...
News Unleash Your Inner DJ With Rytmik
Music creator coming to DSiWare
If you're like us then there's a non-stop party going on in your head that you want the world to hear. Czech developers Cinemax want to help get that party out with their upcoming DSiWare music creation tool Rytmik. With over 170 loops and samples of varying instruments and plenty of fiddling options, Rytmik sounds...
News Final Fantasy Creator Working on Last Story for Wii
Nintendo trademark is for a new Mistwalker RPG
Remember that mystifying trademark that Nintendo registered a while back? Turns out it's not the subtitle of the next Mario adventure (as we half-jokingly predicted) but an RPG from the creator of Final Fantasy, Hironobu Sakaguchi. Nintendo has confirmed the launch of a new Web site dedicated to the...
News Japanese Virtual Console list - February 2010
Three big-name titles. And one slightly less big.
Things are pretty bleak on the Virtual Console in Europe at the moment, but that isn't stopping Japan from continuing to bring more awesome downloads to the table. It's pretty easy to guess what game is being released to build up hype for Mega Man 10, and Nintendo will be releasing the Super Famicom...
News Nintendo Chief Doesn't Care for the iPad
Iwata unimpressed by Apple's device, bashes 3D gaming too
Nintendo head honcho Satoru Iwata has stated he is unimpressed by the recently revealed (and much hyped) Apple iPad - the tablet computing device that Steve Jobs showed the world for the first time on Wednesday. Speaking about the iPad, Iwata stated: “There were no surprises for me,” and...
News Cuddle up to This Hubert's Winter Games Video
Not an official Olympic product
With the 2010 Olympic Winter Games just round the corner, it was almost inevitable that some sort of winter sports game would take an upcoming WiiWare release slot. Still it is a bit icy outside and winter sports can be fun. At least it’s not a naff Christmas game, eh? We reported the announcement of this title not...
News Nintendo of Japan Outlines What It's Up To This Year
Metroid: Other M, Xenoblade, Last Story and new Pokemon in the cards
At an investors meeting in Tokyo today, Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata was nice enough to outline what the company intended to do with all those funds this year. Included in the outline were Wii RPGs The Last Story from Mistwalker and Nintendo as well as Xenoblade, formerly known as...
Thursday28th Jan 2010
Review Ghoul Patrol (Virtual Console / Super Nintendo)
Bustin' makes me feel alright, I suppose
When it came time to follow Zombies Ate My Neighbors, LucasArts decided to go with a third-party developer. Using basically the same gameplay engine as the one found in Zombies, the developer was able to successfully create a game that looked and played very similarly to the original release called Ghoul...
A must for maze mavens.
Gevo Entertainment didn't have the greatest luck with WiiWare, but they've turned things around for their debut DSiWare release, going from a brightly colored, child-centric theme to something more dark and mysterious. In Escapee GO!, you play as Claire, a girl who has been locked up in an insane asylum by the mysterious...
News Mega Man 10 Box Art Released
It's box art minus the box.
In case you haven't seen it yet, Capcom has just released the official box artwork for their upcoming WiiWare release Mega Man 10. As you can see, the box art is a bit less cheesy than its predecessor Mega Man 9. There was even a group of t-shirts given away recently with this very artwork on them. We'll keep you posted...
Review AiRace: Tunnel (DSiWare)
All I wanna do is zomma-zoom-zoom
Flight games are a rare breed on DSiWare. There’s Thorium Wars and, uh, we suppose Paper Plane, and now QubicGames has entered the not-so-crowded field with the neat AiRace: Tunnel. It’s more Paper Plane than Thorium Wars since the focus is on navigating an obstacle course/tunnel as far as you can instead of...
Interviews NinjaBee's Brent Fox
Co-owner talks Amazing Brain Train, WiiWare and more!
With The Amazing Brain Train now available across the US, we had a chat with Brent Fox, NinjaBee's Art Director and co-owner. What does he make of WiiWare, and what are NinjaBee's goals for 2010? Here come your answers! Nintendo Life: Introduce us to the concept of The Amazing Brain Train. What...
News Last Flight Bloodies Up Facebook
Talk to Bloober Team ahead of the game's launch
If you're in the market for a bloody good time on WiiWare (groan) you're probably looking forward to Bloober Team's Last Flight, the cartoon-style slasher due out in the near future. Well, you'll probably also be interested in the launch of its new official Facebook page, which just launched today...
News Mega Man Zero Collection Aims Westward
Z-Busting North America in early summer
We knew it was happening at some point, but now Capcom has announced that the upcoming DS release Mega Man Zero Collection is officially on its way out of Japan. The compilation will bring together all four of the GameBoy Advance Mega Man Zero games for "a great price" early this summer in North...
News WiiWare Demo Program Demo Ending This Month
Hurry hurry hurry!
It had a good run, but Nintendo's temporary WiiWare demo program is coming to an end on January 31st. If you haven't got ahold of the freebies yet then you'd better act fast. According to Official Nintendo Magazine UK, Nintendo sent out a message to online Wii owners that the temporary program will end in three days. Originally...
News Excitebike Screeches to Europe Next Friday
The wait is just about over
Lucky US gamers have been carving up the dirt in Excitebike World Rally for months now, but there's now a confirmed date for European gamers to join the fray - February 5th. With Eco-Shooter 530 releasing tomorrow and now Excitebike (newly subtitled World Challenge in Europe), it's a good time to be a WiiWare fan. Here's...
Nintendo Download 29th January 2010 (Europe)
One single Virtual Console game in three weeks. Again.
But don't feel let down again, because it's actually quite a solid week this time. With DSiWare still being almost completely taken up by Electroplankton rereleases, there's only one real "new" game for each service, but all of them are (or seem to be) good picks. Possibly to tie in with today's...
Wednesday27th Jan 2010
Review Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars (Wii)
Crossover chaos at its very finest
When Capcom’s Versus series burst into arcades in 1996 it was a refreshing change of pace after the seemingly endless stream of copycat brawlers and tired sequels. X-Men vs. Street Fighter also marked a significant new attitude for the veteran developer; it was willing to let its most famous characters duke it...
Review "Aha! I Found It!" Hidden Object Game (WiiWare)
Flawed by fuzziness
It took Ateam Inc. almost a year to bring their last WiiWare offering to the west after its initial Japanese release, but their next reached our shores within a matter of months. "Aha! I Found It!" Hidden Object Game brings with it the promise of good old-fashioned 'find the hidden object' family fun for up to four...
A little bit here and a little bit there...
With as many puzzle games as there are in Nintendo's WiiWare shop it's impressive that companies are still developing more. Even more impressive is how many of them are fun and original, and Unconditional's bittos+ is definitely one to add to the "good" pile. At first glance you might think it's...
News Iwata Asks About Zelda Handheld History
Ancient documents unearthed, and the US drama that inspired Link's Awakening
A newly translated Iwata Asks has popped up on the Nintendo Europe site and this time the focus is on past releases rather than a current title. Inspired by the old stories that were recalled in the New Super Mario Bros. Wii edition, Mr Iwata asked Toshihiko Nakago, Takashi...
First Impressions Rage of the Gladiator
Unleash Hell!
Rage of the Gladiator may not be ready to step into the WiiWare ring just yet, but when Ghostfire Games invited us to a little sparring session with their first-person fighter we accepted immediately. We came away battered and bruised, but still very impressed with how Rage is shaping up. Each of the game’s three control methods...
DSiWare title revealed, screenshots reveal silliness
We're all for a little visual mischief here at Nintendo Life, so when Neko Entertainment wanted to bend our ear about their upcoming download title Faceez we had a devilish little grin on our collective face. Here's what their press release has to say for itself: Neko Entertainment, a leading...
News Red Steel 2 Shoots and Slashes in March
March 23rd for North America, 26th in Europe
Ubisoft's sales predictions for Red Steel 2 may not be as lofty as they were, but gamers worldwide will have a chance to exchange their hard-earned money for blades and bullets in late March. The game is due to hit North American stores on March 23rd, with the European release date a few days later on the...
Tuesday26th Jan 2010
Guides How to Get Your Wii Online
Explore the wonderful world of the web with Wii!
Here at Nintendo Life we pride ourselves on being the web's leading WiiWare and Virtual Console resource, with every single download title reviewed. However, there are still millions of Wii owners unable to get their console online, or not even aware the machine is Internet-enabled right away! If...
Review Max & the Magic Marker (WiiWare)
A beautiful piece of art or a worthless doodle?
Games involving drawing seem to be incredibly popular nowadays. With the DS's touch screen and Wii Remote's pointer both allowing rather precise drawing, it's pretty obvious to see why. Although it's a bit late to the party, Max & the Magic Marker keeps things pretty basic: it's a fairly...
Review No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle (Wii)
Travis Touchdown is back with a vengeance and better than ever
The mirrors don’t work. It’s a minor detail and completely inconsequential to gameplay, but when Travis Touchdown meanders into a public restroom to do his deeds and save the game in No More Heroes: Desperate Struggle, he might as well be a vampire. Despite his bloodlust, Travis is...
News Get In The Groove With Kung Fu Funk
Kicking for the Kung Pow of WiiWare party games
Be patient, young grasshopper, for in time you too will be able to get funky with the best of them. Yaks will sing, moves will be danced and parties will be had when Stickmen Studios unleashes Kung Fu Funk upon WiiWare. We've got no screens or a release date outside of "the near future," but...
Monday25th Jan 2010
News Castlevania: Rondo of Blood ESRB Rated
The wait is almost over.
We just recently saw the release of Castlevania: The Adventure Rebirth in North America and now news has just leaked out that Castlevania: Rondo of Blood has just been ESRB Rated. Honestly, it can't get much better than this for Castlevania fans, and it would seem that Hudson's release of the game can now not be too far...
News Monster Hunter and Classic Controller Pro Bundle Coming To North America
A truly monstrous bundle
We’re all a little excited about the upcoming release of Monster Hunter 3 Tri, infact some of us are absolutely overflowing with fervour. Now the anticipation has reached melting point with the announcement that the game will be bundled with the Classic Controller Pro when it lands in the States. American gamers have had...
One call you might want to take.
For those of you who love a good scare or just enjoy a playful romp through the latest survival horror title, Hudson's got just the game for you. In fact, they were even kind enough to send us over a preview build of their upcoming horror release Calling to check out and we have to say, this is easily one of the...
News Phoenix Wright May Still Appear in Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom
The Ace Attorney and other characters may arrive as DLC
Capcom fans disappointed at Phoenix Wright's exclusion from upcoming brawler Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom: Ultimate All Stars may have reason to get their hopes up again, as Destructoid reports that producer Ryota Niitsuma claimed if Nintendo would allow it then extra characters may be added to the...
Nintendo Download 25th January 2010 (North America)
Cards, blocks, numbers and ghouls in this week's update
Looks like a decent update from Nintendo of America this week with three for WiiWare (including a long-awaited card game), three for DSiWare and another LucasArts title on the Virtual Console for good measure. WiiWare: UNO (1000pts - Gameloft) – A bit overdue perhaps, but finally you can play...
News Marvelous Sells Stake in Rising Star Games
Story updated: Rising Star keep Marvelous rights
Editorial note: Earlier today we ran a news piece saying Marvelous Entertainment had sold their 50% stake in Rising Star Games to Japanese publisher Intergrow, who also have part-ownership of Gamebridge. We later removed the story as we were seeking additional clarification from Rising Star Games,...
Sunday24th Jan 2010
News SEGA Confirms Alton Towers Tie-In
Earlier rumours now confirmed
As we reported just a few weeks ago, UK theme park lovers will soon be able to get a dose of gaming with their high-flying rollercoaster action, as Alton Towers is about to get a distinctly SEGA flavour. SEGA® Europe Ltd today announced an exciting three year partnership with Alton Towers Resort, the most popular...
News Project Needlemouse Stories Come and Go
Sega pull reported leaks as quickly as they appear
Reports regarding Sega’s Project Needlemouse are appearing on the Internet and subsequently disappearing faster than the blue blur himself. The stories relate to a number of leaked details that Sega aren’t ready for you to see yet, namely the platform(s) the game will appear on and the game’s...
Saturday23rd Jan 2010
Herculean effort or Greek tragedy?
Role-playing game fans have to be excited to see the number of RPG releases appearing on the DS system continuing to grow. And while we've seen some very unique gameplay elements in many of the titles, we've seen almost as many titles take a much more traditional approach, choosing to stick to many of the familiar...
News Heart Gold/Soul Silver Aussie Release Date Announced
Later than America, sooner than Europe! Pokewalker included
Nintendo Australia have made the announcement that they will be releasing Pokemon Heart Gold and Soul Silver on March 25th - a whole day before Europe gets it! They've also given the Australians a reason to go out and walk as it's recently been confirmed that the Pokewalker peripheral will...
Friday22nd Jan 2010
¡Viva la revolución!
Chroma City has been subjugated by the diabolical INKT Corporation! Can anyone free the formerly colourful Raydians from their grey prison? Enter the members of the Colour Revolution led by legendary Chroma City graffiti artist Blob, whom players control in their quest for colour, funk and freedom! Based upon a game created by...
Review Ai Chō Aniki (Virtual Console / TurboGrafx-16)
Possibly the maddest shooter of all time
Thanks to Nintendo making imports available on the Virtual Console, you've probably come across Chō Aniki: a shooter on the PC Engine in the same mold as Gradius and other side-scrollers, but with some rather unconventional enemies and a lot of muscles. You may be less familiar with this sequel, which was...
News English Girl Becomes Biggest Collector of Pokémon Memorabilia
She caught 'em all - and then some
21 year old Lisa Courtney was declared the biggest Pokémon collector of them all by the Guinness Book of Records 2010 with over 12,000 items. Courtney started collecting 'em all 13 years ago. She found it a relief from the bullying she suffered from school at the time due to a physical disability. Since Guinness...
News BBC Interested In Games Again
Looking to develop Doctor Who, Top Gear, In The Night Garden titles
MCV has revealed that the BBC Worldwide is interested in making games based on key IPs after years of sitting back and watching. The BBC has said that it wants to see its biggest brands like Doctor Who, Top Gear, In The Night Garden and more expand into games for all audiences. The...
Nintendo Download 26 & 27 January 2010 (Japan)
More Phoenix Wright, more N64, more DSiWare anime photo frames!
It's still a small update, but after a mini-break WiiWare has returned along with the first new N64 game in nearly a year on the Virtual Console. Not to be left out there are five new releases for Japanese DSiWare -- though only two are games; one being a new puzzler from Nintendo...
Thursday21st Jan 2010
Review Chronos Twins (DSiWare)
Double the fun, half the price.
Quick history lesson: Chronos Twins began life as a Game Boy Advance title that was later ported over to the DS. While the game saw release in the UK, it was unable to land a North American publisher – poor UK sales didn't help matters. The game was released on WiiWare and now, only one week later, the DS version is...
News Gaijin Games Reveals First BIT.TRIP RUNNER Details
Dozens of stages, new characters and a special musical guest
Gaijin Games is anything but lazy. Their acclaimed BIT.TRIP series is nary a year old with three entries under its WiiWare-shaped belt. Not ones to rest on their laurels, the Santa Cruz developers are hard at work on the next entry in their retro metaphysical saga: RUNNER. On the latest...
Review The Amazing Brain Train (WiiWare)
All aboard, kids!
Back in 2008, indie developer Grubby Games created a collection of cute, quirky mini-games for the PC designed to amuse as well as stimulate your brain. It went on to be chosen as a 2008 PAX 10 winner, and though it did not capture the Audience Choice Award as well, it obviously turned enough heads for an eventual console release...
News Wii Software Sales Outmuscle Xbox 360
Life is short - play more
Wii overtook Xbox 360 for lifetime software sales in the US last year, according to a new report. Point-of-sales data from NPD show that 175m games have been snapped up in the 38 months that the Wii has now been on sale in this region. It is estimated that software for 360 has sold 164m units since that machine came to...
News Rumoured Zelda Wii Details Spill Online
Nuggets of rumored goodness hit Japanese forum
The rumor mill has been cranked to the max as the Nintendo corners of the Internet are abuzz with supposedly leaked details on the next Zelda game. Zelda Informer (via GoNintendo) is reporting a handful of leaks coming out of the Japanese forum site 2chan (of which 4chan is a rough equivalent)...
News AiRace: Tunnel coming to DSiWare next week
Plane-racing action hits the US download store Monday
Like planes? Like racing? Like combining two of your favourite things? Then you might just want to check out QubicGames' AiRace: Tunnel when it hits the US DSiWare store next week. The game promises to blend puzzle game sensibilities with aerial action for a mere 200 points. For those of us who...
News Japan to Get Wii Budget Range
Rest of the world left waiting
Nintendo of Japan have finally introduced the "Minna no Osusume Collection" (or, for us English-speaking folk, the "Everyone's Recommendation Collection"), a range of re-released Wii titles to combat the 360 Classics and PS3 Platinum range. Titles with high user rankings from the Japanese Nintendo...
Nintendo Download 22nd January 2010 (Europe)
The Virtual Console gets abandoned again.
You've got to wonder what's going on over at Nintendo of Europe. For the second time, we've now gone two weeks in a row without a VC title, despite knowing that there's still plenty of them upcoming. Come on, NoE! Just like last week, there's really only one noteworthy title - The rest is completely...
Wednesday20th Jan 2010
Review Dark Void Zero (DSiWare)
More 8-bit retro goodness
We've already seen Capcom enjoy success on WiiWare with their retro-infused Mega Man 9 release. Now it seems they're trying to show DSiWare the same retro love with Dark Void Zero. Of course now the question is, does the game live up to the lofty standards the company has already put in place with Mega Man 9? Dark Void Zero...
News Luigi's Mansion to Get Sequel?
Nintendo files new trademark
The Internet rumour mill is whirring up a notch today following the news that Nintendo has filed a new trademark for Luigi’s Mansion. Currently the two most popular theories are that either a sequel of the Gamecube launch title is being made for the Wii or that the game is being re-released as part of the New Play...
Weird doesn't even begin to describe it
Someone has stolen your stash of muscle-pumping creatine! Quick, assemble the burliest speedo-clad men, women and polar bears in town, chase the thief through walls and bury them under a pile of men! Dash, pose, flex! Muscle March is the kind of game that doesn't really need a review because everything you...
First Impressions Super Meat Boy - Part 2
We take the latest build for a spin.
As the agonizing wait continues for Team Meat's upcoming WiiWare release Super Meat Boy, we can't help but turn into a bunch of giddy schoolgirls each time we're fortunate enough to get our hands on a new preview build of the game. We had only just begun to wipe the grin off of our faces since the last preview...
News Wii Play is the US's Best-Selling Game Ever
Beats Call of Duty, Madden... Namco Museum?!
NPD recently revealed a list of the best-selling games in the US, and Nintendo's pack-in title Wii Play came out on top, beating every other game of the past fifteen years. That's right - those nine minigames have sold more copies than any title from the Call of Duty, Madden NFL, Grand Theft Auto and...
News Trauma Team Endoscopy Trailer
We're going in!
If you've ever been sitting around and thought, "I wonder what it would be like to travel through an anal cavity?" then Atlus has just the gameplay video for you. Featuring gameplay footage from their upcoming Wii release Trauma Team, you can now see what it's like to perform an actual Endoscopy procedure, all from the...
News WiiWare Devs Call for More Advertising From Nintendo
Service needs more promotion, awareness, money
Although Nintendo UK has just started on a high-profile advertising campaign to draw more awareness to the Wii's online features and WiiWare titles, for many developers it's something that should have happened years ago. Until now, Nintendo's efforts to promote the Wii's online capabilities have been...
News Glory of Heracles Launch Trailer
More video of the game in action!
The kind folks over at Nintendo were nice enough to send over the official launch trailer for their brand new DS RPG Glory of Heracles. You can check out the video below along with the official press release information to go along with it. We'll also have a full review of the game up shortly. For centuries, the...
News New Grinder Details Claw Their Way Out
What does High Voltage have up its sleeve?
Nintendo Power has gained some interesting new details on The Grinder, the next Wii FPS from developer High Voltage. Perhaps the most exciting tidbit of info being that the game will now support MotionPlus, which is a big... erm... plus. Similar to Valve's popular Left 4 Dead series, you take control of a...
News Astro Bugz Revenge Gameplay Trailer
Check out the zany puzzler/shooter in action!
Sudden Games LLC has just announced its brand new WiiWare puzzler Astro Bugz Revenge that should be hitting the service later this year. They've also been kind enough to send over the first official gameplay trailer of the game in action that you can check out below as well. We'll keep you informed of...
Tuesday19th Jan 2010
Review Sands of Destruction (DS)
Yet another engaging DS Japanese RPG.
There's no denying that Nintendo's DS system has seen quite a few Japanese RPG releases over the years and is quickly becoming the system of choice for fans of the genre. Imageepoch, comprised of former developers of such legendary RPG classics as Xenogears and Grandia, have once again combined their talents to...
News Fatal Frame IV Fan Translation Finally Released
Experience the Japan-only horror game in a language you understand
Even though it may be denied an official release outside of Japan, fans of Tecmo's creepy-spooky Fatal Frame IV have taken the localization efforts into their own hands to do what Nintendon't and deliver a patch to fully translate the game into English. Yes, Virginia, it's done. All...
News British R4 Card Importer Shipping Off To Prison
Guilty plea nets 12-month sentence
Don't mess with Nintendo. British resident Yun Can Meng clearly didn't get the memo when he was busy importing approximately 26,500 R4 cards, as GamesPolitics reports that Meng has been sentenced to 12 months in prison for pleading guilty to the charge. Meng was sentenced in Hull Crown Court. R4 cards can be used...
News US Pokémasters: Preorder Now, Get Ho-Oh or Lugia Figures
Legendary Pokémon spotted at US retailers
The hype machine for Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver is certainly kicking into action now, with the news that select US retailers are offering Ho-Oh and Lugia figurines to preorder customers. If you want Ho-Oh, put your name down for HeartGold. Lugia fan? SoulSilver is the one for you. Here's what Cammie...
News Pink DSi Slinks Into Nintendo's Europe Release Schedule
New console colour complemented by new games
In a move that nobody saw coming, Nintendo today announced the release of a pink DSi console in Europe, available from February 12th. Packaged with Style Boutique (known as Style Savvy in the US), the console is set to win over macho hearts and minds in just a few weeks. That's not all the hardware news...
Interview Climax - Silent Hill: Shattered Memories
Nintendo Life heads to Konami HQ to talk to the studio behind the storming new Silent Hill title
UK-based developers Climax are kind of on fire right now. They've just released Silent Hill: Shattered Memories in partnership with Konami, and they're already working on two more projects for the gaming supergiant. Shattered Memories has already been...
News Hubert the Teddy Bear Gives WiiWare a Hug
Cutesy Winter sports ahoy!
The UK may finally have shaken off most of its snow, but there's still time to have some Winter fun, as Teyon announces Hubert the Teddy Bear: Winter Games is heading to WiiWare in the near future. Here comes their press release, rolling down a snowy hill, skating over an icy pond and pirouetting gracefully into view...
Podcast NLFM Episode 3: BIT.TRIP Down Memory Lane
Alex Neuse of Gaijin Games talks influences, music game design and the future of Commander Video
Welcome to another jolly good episode of NLFM, the chip and game music podcast from Nintendo Life. We're joined in this double-length episode by special guest Alex Neuse of Gaijin Games, who has schlepped along a crate of his favorite chip/game music...
News Sega Wheels Out Sonic All-Stars Racing Pack
UK racers get blue shells - not the annoying kind, though.
Judging by the hundreds of thousands of hours spent playing Mario Kart Wii since its release two years ago, those official Wii Wheels must be getting smashed to dust by now. Well, for anyone after a nice new wheel and a character-based driving game to replace it, SEGA has just the thing on...
News Nnooo Officially Announce myPostcards
New DSiWare app shaping up nicely.
Nnooo has just sent out the official announcement of their newest DSiWare app myPostcards. You can check out the official press release below for more information on the upcoming title and we'll keep you informed of any new developments regarding the application. Following the highly successful launch of...
News Gaijin Games Wants To RUN With Your Art
Open call for fan art for next TRIP
Want your art to be featured in a popular video game but lack a game job? Well, you might be able to weasel your way in yet as developers Gaijin Games are taking fan art submissions for use in the upcoming fourth series entry, BIT.TRIP RUNNER. According to Gaijin's Web site, the art in question should be...
Monday18th Jan 2010
News Analyst: Nintendo DS2 to be Launched Next Year
According to research firm EEDAR, we could have our hands on the next handheld by April 2011
With the Wii smashing sales last month, it is no surprise to hear that Nintendo is planning on revamping its handheld market. According to EEDAR, a new version of the DS could be available by April 2011. Jesse Divinch, who is the director of the analyst...
First Impressions Art of Balance
We get to grips with this blocky beauty
Puzzle games are ten-a-penny on WiiWare, varying from the boring to the brilliant. Attempting to nestle nicely into this overcrowded genre comes Art of Balance, a physics-based block-stacker from the developers of DS shooter Nanostray. Having had chance to sit down with Art of Balance for a few hours it’s...
Nintendo Download 18th January 2010 (North America)
Brawn, brains, twins, dogs, ninjas and platform games "risen from the dead" -- this week has it all!
A nice update for North America this week as we see a game many thought would stay in Japan, a new brain teaser and a catch-up title for the Genesis on the Virtual Console. DSiWare is no slouch though with a selection of strategy and platform games...
News Ubisoft Slices Sales Predictions for Red Steel 2 in Two
500,000 still a big figure, though
We've been keeping a close eye on Ubisoft's upcoming East-meets-West shooter Red Steel 2 - seriously, we have some of the world's best content on it, y'know - which is now due for launch in March of this year. Perhaps taking on board the recent discussion of mature games on Wii, the company has decided to lower its...
Sunday17th Jan 2010
News Muscle March Coming to WiiWare on Monday
The excruciating wait is finally over.
Namco Bandai has announced that its quirky WiiWare title Muscle March will be hitting the North American WiiWare service on Monday, January 18th. As if this amazing news wasn't enough, the 800 Wii Point price tag of the Japanese release has been dropped by 300 Points to a very manageable 500 Wii Points. If you...
Saturday16th Jan 2010
News Project Needlemouse to Focus Solely on Sonic?
No super sidekicks this time
Sonic has taken a lot of criticism for his most recent 3D outing, Sonic Unleashed.The main problems being that Sega need to leave out all so-called "fake" characters and focus purely on the blue blur himself, as well as keeping it 2D and fast. Well it looks as if Sega has finally listened to the fans calling...
Nintendo Download 19 & 20 January 2010 (Japan)
Another light week for Japanese downloads.
Nintendo corporate seems to be imitating the European division when it comes to the Wii in Japan with a second week of VC-only downloads: only one title this week for the little white box. The DSi fares a little better with five new releases, some of which are actually games! Virtual Console: Salad no Kuni...
Friday15th Jan 2010
Hey, you got your MotionPlus in my WiiWare
Everyone with a playful heart has thrown their hands into light and tried to make a shadow figure on the wall at some point in their lives, but few stick around for more than a couple of tries, let alone ever consider paying for the opportunity. Deep Fried Entertainment asks both of players with ShadowPlay,...
News Mega Man 10 Robot Masters Unveiled
The newest bad boys are here!
Capcom has just revealed the 8 robot bosses of their upcoming Mega Man 10 WiiWare release and judging from the pictures, Mega Man fans are in for yet another retro treat. You can check out the official images and descriptions from Capcom's Unity Blog for a taste of what you can expect from this upcoming WiiWare release...
News Mega Man Zero Collection Coming to DS
More Mega Man goodness for Nintendo fans
Capcom has just announced Mega Man Zero Collection for the DS, featuring the Zero character from the Mega Man X universe. The games were originally released on GBA from 2002 to 2005 and feature a story set a century after the X series (and 200 years before ZX) when Zero gets re-activated and becomes an...
News DSi XL Gets The Hands-on Video Treatment
Exclusive Nintendo Life moving images contained within
No doubt you've already cast your gaze over Corbie's excellent hands-on impressions of the shiny new Nintendo DSi XL, and as a companion to that feature we've cooked up a little video review of the console, purely because we're nice like that. Thanks go to the friendly people at Nintendo UK for...
Interviews Robotube Games - Bloktonik
We talk to founder Jason Cirillo about Robotube's upcoming WiiWare debut Bloktonik and the Bit Museum.
Nintendo Life: First things first - who and what is Robotube Games? Jason Cirillo: Robotube loves games, Robotube makes games, Robotube wants to support indie gaming and those who want to get into game development. Aside from being stoked about...
News Nintendo Doubly Outsold Everything Else Combined In US Last Month
Wii alone stomped the might of Sony and Microsoft
We had already heard from Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata that the Japanese giant was looking at record December console sales figures this year in the US, but now we've got cold hard NPD sales numbers to see just how many Wiis and DS's were shifted. Turns out that Iwata's "approaching 3M sold"...
News Wii, DS Have Record-Breaking Year In US
Hojillions and hojillions served
According to the NPD sales numbers for December, Nintendo sold more than double the hardware as all of their competitors combined, totaling around 7 million Wii and DS units sold. That's a spicy meatball, but certainly not the only one on top of the company's pile of money-shaped spaghetti that was 2009. In fact, the...
Check out Nnooo's newest app in action!
Nic Watt of Nnooo has just released the first video of his upcoming DSiWare application myPostcards in action. You may remember our recent podcast interview with Nic where he hinted at such a creation, in fact. You can check out the video below for a taste of what you can expect from the program and we'll keep...
News Aha! I Found It Coming to NA January 25th
Quirky Japanese WiiWare title comes stateside.
Ateam Inc have just announced that their hit Japanese WiiWare game Aha! I Found It will be released on the North American WiiWare service on January 25th for 500 Wii Points. A MULTIPLAYER HIDDEN OBJECT GAME FOR EVERYONE "Aha! I Found It!" Hidden Object Game is a game that everyone can have...
Thursday14th Jan 2010
Review Chronos Twins DX (WiiWare)
Double the fun
Quick history lesson: Chronos Twins DX began life as a Game Boy Advance title that was later ported over to the DS. While the game saw release in the UK, it was unable to land a North American publisher – poor UK sales didn't help much. Thankfully, the game is now enjoying a well-deserved second chance on WiiWare and turns out to be...
Review Word Searcher (DSiWare)
Better on a portable?
Digital Leisure attempted to jump on the Sudoku DSiWare bandwagon a while back, failing miserably in the process. Now they've taken another crack at the service with something different: Word Searcher, a game featuring 100 different word-search puzzles to sink your vocabulary into. Granted, Word Searcher as WiiWare wasn't that...
News Reggie: No New Console Successor Anytime Soon
Wii will prevail
Be it an upgrade to the existing hardware or a brand new console, there have been many rumours and forum chit-chat over the last year concerning Nintendo’s plan to release a successor to the Wii. However, Reggie Fils-Aime has confirmed the continued support to current hardware in an interview with Bloomberg Business Week. Reggie...
News DSi XL to Hit Europe on March 5th
Big screens a-comin'
We've already told you what we reckon about the new DSi XL and its mammoth screens, but if you live in Europe then you'll get a chance to try it yourself when the console launches on March 5th, 2010. Nintendo's lovely press department has just sent over the announcement now, although there is no mention of price as yet. It's...
Nintendo Download 15 January 2010 (Europe)
And thus it becomes even harder to say anything positive about Nintendo of Europe.
After not releasing any Virtual Console games for Christmas and the week after, you'd think Nintendo would've learned their lesson when they finally release one last week. But no, they're back to their old tricks again, as this week offers next to nothing all around...
News Medaverse Announce $1,000 Gravitronix Tournament
Beat the devs at their own game
Remember Gravitronix? Of course you do. It was that game that was announced waaaaaay back in the mists of time - in fact it was one of the first WiiWare games to be confirmed. Its development was an especially long and protracted one, and sadly when the game finally became available last year, it hardly set the world...
Wednesday13th Jan 2010
Review Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (WiiWare)
“Objection!”
Renowned primarily for its storytelling and unique style, it’s hard to say for sure whether the Phoenix Wright series are games at all or rather interactive short stories, but the medium in which they exist lumps them into the game category, and so as a game we must review it. There’s nothing we can say about the Phoenix Wright...
The sum of its parts
There's no doubt that James Cameron's Avatar in all its 3D blue-and-green beauty is a worldwide phenomenon, grossing millions upon millions of dollars and becoming a word of mouth sensation. With such a wave of success comes James Cameron's Avatar: The Game from Ubisoft, with its oft-heard promises of being an interactive...
Movie-streaming service becomes available this spring — UPDATE
Thank goodness for that! An end to the incessant rumours — Netflix will be making it to the Wii in the next few months, according to The New York Times (and now both companies in a joint statement). You'll be able to subscribe to the service for the humble sum of $9 per month. Once...
News Tatsunoko vs Capcom: Ultimate All-Shooters
Upcoming brawler to feature 2D scrolling shoot-'em-up minigame
You heard right - Capcom are including an old-school shoot-'em-up in their anticipated fighter Tatsunoko vs Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars. The minigame, set in the landscapes of Lost Planet, will let up to four players loose in what promises to be some crazy blasting action. Playable...
News New Glory of Heracles Gameplay Videos
More footage of the game in action!
Nintendo has just sent over two brand new gameplay videos of their upcoming DS RPG Glory of Heracles. The game is set to hit store shelves on January 18th and if you haven't seen the game in action yet, do yourself a favor and check out these two videos. We'll have a set of new screenshots tomorrow and of course...
News Bit Museum Showcases Nintendo's Pre-Famicom Days
Game developer does video gaming archaeology on YouTube
If you haven't heard of mobile phone and WiiWare game developer Robotube Games, it's possible you may have come across their Bit Museum video series on YouTube, presented by designer Jason Cirillo. We think they're some of the best gaming videos on the 'net with a special focus on the earliest...
News Max & the Magic Marker Coming to Europe January 22
The wait is almost over.
Press Play have just announced that their unique WiiWare platformer Max & the Magic Marker will be hitting the European WiiWare service on January 22 at a cost of 1000 Wii Points. Of course, North American gamers need not worry, as a NA release should be coming up shortly thereafter. Players wanted to find out a little...
Tuesday12th Jan 2010
Review Freshly-Picked Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland (DS)
Kooloo-limpah!
When it was announced Japan would be getting a game starring the Zelda series' strangest character, Tingle, everybody pretty much agreed on one thing - it would never leave Japan. But, in a very surprising move, Nintendo decided to take the gamble and localise the game. Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland takes place before every Zelda game he's...
Review Jazzy Billiards (DSiWare)
Every day I'm hustling
Out of the entire spectrum of bar games to make the digital jump, billiards is second only to poker in delivering really fun interpretations, like Virtual Pool on PC. What makes that series great is a total understanding of why billiards is fun and how to translate that into mechanics that feel more like skill than luck. Arc...
Review Move Your Brain: Rollway Puzzle (DSiWare)
Tilting fun on a DSi
Move Your Brain: Rollway Puzzle certainly is a brave title. It dares make use of the DSi camera extensively – the last title to do that was Nintendo’s own WarioWare Snapped! and the result was a game that didn’t really work in a lot of lighting situations. The game is based on a maze of 3D platforms, the job of the player...
News Ulala and Crazy Taxi Joining Sonic & Sega All-Star Racing
More characters to be revealed
Sega have released another trailer of the racer being developed by Sumo Digital, showing off Ulala from Dreamcast game Space Channel 5 and Crazy Taxi's BD Joe, which received a rather good GameCube conversion a few years back. It's been announced there will be 24 tracks in total, a healthy amount though just shy of...
News Even More Nintendo Titles Get The Axe
Shaking stilled, Battalions blasted and walls Charged
Just last week, gaming blog Coffee With Games reported that Nintendo would be ceasing production and distribution of the Metroid Prime Trilogy compilation in the US. Now, several sites are reporting that the company is laying off even more games, some of which haven't even blown out their first...
News Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver UK Date Announced
Both UK and US getting Pokewalker
Nintendo Europe has announced this morning that the release date for Pokemon Heart Gold and Soul Silver in the UK is 26th March. In addition they have confirmed that the Pokewalker peripheral is also due for release in Europe (Americans should be getting it too, we would imagine) and they've even been kind enough to...
Monday11th Jan 2010
Review Street Fighter Alpha 3 (Game Boy Advance)
Street Fighter returns! Bigger and better!
Three years after porting the first Street Fighter Alpha to the Game Boy Color, Crawfish Interactive tried something a bit more ambitious, this time for the more powerful Game Boy Advance. The decision was made to skip Alpha 2 and instead port the third game of the series. Street Fighter Alpha 3 had arrived...
A budget title in more ways than one.
When Cinemax first announced their plans to bring the classic Sokoban puzzle to DSiWare, we were somewhat excited – especially with the price being set at a measly 200 points. But unfortunately, in this case, this has also resulted in the game itself not offering much content. The game starts with pretty...
News Near Five Year Development Cycle for Zelda Wii?
2010's most anticipated game has reportedly been in production since 2006
According to Zelda Informer, the highly anticipated Zelda Wii has been in production since early 2006, meaning that if released in 2010 as promised it will have had nearly a five year development cycle. The previous record of three years held by
News Nintendo: Hey, We're Green, Honest!
Company responds to damning environmental report
Nintendo has responded to the recent Greenpeace report in which it was awarded just 1.4 out of 10 for its chemical, e-waste and energy policies. In a statement made to Eurogamer, Nintendo points out that the Wii is the most energy efficient of this generation’s consoles and that it considers the...
News Sega: Nintendo Should Support Mature Gamers
Bloody Mario...
Speaking after the news that Sega is starting to have second thoughts at attempts to target older Wii gamers, following slow sales of other publishers' software and its own mature titles, the company believes that Nintendo should be trying to widen the market with its own 18 certificate games. James Rebours, the CEO of Sega for...
News JV Games Announce Dart Rage for WiiWare
Darts with a unique twist!
JV Games has just announced its newest title Dart Rage will be making its way to WiiWare in late January or early February. Making use of a pixel-perfect accurate, no-button control system, the game promises to produce a dart throwing experience unlike any other on the service. You can check out the official Wii Shop...
Nintendo Download 11 January 2010 (North America)
Courtroom drama, temporal shenanigans, shadow play, billiards and board games this week.
Well, it looks like the release schedule in North America is starting out as slow as everywhere else, although three WiiWare releases and a Virtual Console add is pretty impressive even if it is smaller than the release weeks in December. The DSi offerings are a...
News EA Makes NBA Jam Wii Officially Official
From downtown, etc!
'Twas but one week ago a little birdie told ESPN that NBA Jam would be making a comeback, so color us not-so-surprised to hear that EA has made it official that they've got a new Jam in the pipes for this year. Apart from the obvious graphical overhaul, which is said to bring "visible player emotion" to the table (e.g...
News MadWorld Director Interested In Stab At Sequel
Thinks mature-rated game was very well received
With all the whining and bellyaching over mature-rated games on Wii lately, it's interesting to hear about a studio so unfazed, even keen on the prospect of doing more in the area. And that studio is Platinum Games. Their first-ever release, the hyper-violent monochrome brawler
News Netflix Might Make It To Wii Yet
CEO says movie-streaming service has an "excellent" chance of appearing on a Nintendo console
In his answer to an on-stage question at CES in Las Vegas, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings stated that the popular online-streaming service for movies has an "excellent" chance of coming to a Nintendo console. Rumours of such a tie-in have been flying...
Saturday9th Jan 2010
News Nintendo No Longer Publishing Metroid Prime Trilogy in US
Get it while you still can!
Blogger Coffeewithgames recently noticed that Amazon US had stopped stocking Metroid Prime Trilogy a few weeks back. He fired off an email of enquiry to Nintendo about the status of the title and got a response from Nintendo. "Unfortunately, Metroid Prime Trilogy is no longer being shipped. Having said that, you...
Friday8th Jan 2010
Review Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi (Virtual Console / Sega Mega Drive)
Shinobi Joe is back, and this time he’s brought his dog
Shadow Dancer started out life in 1989 in the arcades as the sequel to the ever-popular Shinobi, which was a sizable hit for creator Sega. In the same year the company also released the rather excellent Revenge of Shinobi as an early title for the fledgling Mega Drive/Genesis. It strayed from...
Review Street Fighter Alpha: Warriors' Dreams (Game Boy Color)
An impressive but flawed conversion
In 1995 Capcom decided that, for the time being, there were enough versions of Street Fighter II in the world and so came up with something different. Street Fighter Alpha featured air-blocking, a three-level super combo gauge, counter attacks and a fancy anime appearance. Although sequels followed, it was decided...
Review Fast Draw Showdown (WiiWare)
“Keep it in your holster!”
Fast Draw Showdown is a game set in the distant past…the year 1994, to be precise. In those days, arcades were lit up with light gun games; even as other genres drifted into console-only territory, there was still a ready supply of them. But where most of these games were frantic on-rails, shoot-everything-that-moves...
Review Animal Puzzle Adventure (DSiWare)
Puppies and kittens and piglets, oh my
Aksys Games makes most of their living by translating and localising Japanese games for Western markets. Their choices for WiiWare offerings, at least, haven't been great so far, but they've now graced the DSi Shop with partner developer Arc System Works' Animal Puzzle Adventure
Downloadable darts — just as pointless as it sounds
Pub Darts is puzzling. Not that it’s a truly horrid game, but it’s just so basic that you have to wonder why you’d want to spend a lot of time with it. People like to play darts in bars and pubs because it’s a great excuse to get tipsy with your friends and throw sharp objects really fast...
News Tuper Tario Tros: A Mario/Tetris Mash-up
Warning: this Flash game is highly addictive
Newgrounds user and all-round genius SwingSwing has created a fantastic Mario/Tetris mash-up named Tuper Tario Tros. Blending the platformer and puzzle genres, the game involves traversing the usual Mario landscape with your usual repertoire of jumping and, err... more jumping. When Mario encounters an...
News Nyko Bringing Wii MotionPlus to Wand+
No more plug-ins for you
If you're fed up of clicking that MotionPlus accessory into the bottom of your Wii Remote, you might want to consider picking up Nyko's new Wand+, which features the accessory built inside the controller itself. Arcane magic indeed. Here's what Nyko has to say about its new creation. By building the technology into the...
News Nintendo Hits Rock Bottom In Greenpeace Rankings
Veteran video game company needs to clean up its act
Nintendo has scored just 1.4 out of a possible 10 for its chemical, e-waste and energy policies in Greenpeace’s annual Guide to Greener Electronics, the lowest score of the eighteen companies tested. Despite last year pledging to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and e-waste, Nintendo has failed...
News DSi Gets Motion Detection
Console tilt-sensitive without attachments
Satoru Iwata may say the DS's successor will be motion sensitive, but the team at Engine Software has beaten him to the punch, creating full motion sensitivity with no attachments needed. To demonstrate the technology in action, Engine Software has released a video of TILT, a prototype marble-rolling...
Nintendo Download 12 & 13 January 2010 (Japan)
WiiWare takes a back seat, more MSX and the usual load of DSiWare.
Well, the WiiWare releases have been sparse recently and next week there will be none. Wii owners will at least get a Virtual Console update; though with a couple of Konami shooters that frankly looked better in other incarnations elsewhere, it will be small comfort. The DSi, on the...
News Endless Ocean 2 Comes Up For Air in February
Europeans get to dive again on February 5th
You won't have to hold your breath too much longer for Nintendo's next dive 'em up, as Nintendo announce the game will see a release across Europe on February 5th, 2010. Promising new features over the acclaimed original, including Wii Speak support and a new Pulsar gun that sounds like it was made for...
News Capcom Reaffirms Wii Commitment
Press release puts worrywarts at ease
We reported a few days ago that Capcom isn't too pleased with the performance of their hardcore titles on Wii, and may be focusing more on the HD consoles in the coming year. Naturally we Wii owners became a little anxious, but it appears we needn't have worried, as the company has issued a press release to...
Thursday7th Jan 2010
News Konami Readying Castlevania Collection For Wii?
Listen to them - the children of the net. What rumours they make
This is probably one to file under “rumour” for the time being but we’ve gotten wind from an anonymous source that Konami is currently working away on a Castlevania collection, which apparently will be released on the Wii and Sony PSP this year. Details are predictably sketchy...
News UK Theme Park Getting Sonic-Branded Ride
Due to open February Half Term
UK theme park Alton Towers is currently preparing to reopen for February Half Term, and Sonic fansite Sonic Stadium has heard that apparently the "Spinball Whizzer" attraction at the big UK attraction is being re-designed this year to a Sonic the Hedgehog theme. The site's source mentions this is for a...
News Keep Rollin' Rollin' Rollin' with Sushi Go Round
Upcoming Wii and DS food-'em-ups get March release dates
Sushi rolling might not seem like the most obvious premise for a video game, but throw in some time-management gameplay and some frantic score-beating action and developers Asylum Entertainment might just have cooked up something rather tasty. We're only a few months away from finding out for...
Nintendo Download 8 January 2010 (Europe)
Virtual Console returns!
After two weeks of very few interesting downloadable games, today offers us some potentially good titles. The Virtual Console gets one new game (And a good one, at that) while WiiWare gets two and DSiWare gets three. The first Virtual Console game in 3 weeks is Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi on the Mega Drive. Released...
Wednesday6th Jan 2010
Review Final Fight 3 (Wii Virtual Console / Super Nintendo)
Is the third time the charm?
Final Fight 3 came along fairly late in the Super Nintendo's lifespan, but that certainly didn't bother fans of the series who were looking for one more heavy dose of beat-'em-up action. Capcom decided it was time to spice up the gameplay some and the end result was something that would appeal to classic fans of the...
News Nintendo Life Game of the Year Results
Ten awards, hundreds of votes - the results are right here!
In this month's podcast we revealed the Nintendo Life Game of the Year Awards winners, showcasing the very best games that 2009 bestowed upon us. If you didn't get chance to listen to the show yet, be sure to check it out, but here for posterity are all the categories and winners from a...
Review Happy Hammerin' (WiiWare)
Now you can whack moles... in space!
Gamebridge seems to love bringing quirky, Japan-exclusive WiiWare games over to the west. Overturn, a fun mech fighting game, was their first, and although for some reason it's not out in Europe yet, we reviewed the North American version and thought it was surprisingly good. Happy Hammerin' is their second...
News New Zelda for Wii Confirmed for Release in 2010
Dust off your tunic, you'll be playing a new Zelda game on your Wii before the year is out.
You are now less than 365 days away from a new console Zelda game. Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata confirmed to Japan's Asahi Shimbun daily today that the Wii Zelda sequel, first revealed at last year's E3, will be released this year. Truth be told we weren't sure...
News More Epic Mickey Details: Inspired by Mario and Zelda
Also includes a dash of Okami and a pinch of Deus Ex
Epic Mickey was announced back in November but information has been a bit scarce until now. Game Informer had an in-depth preview in the US but details were for their readers' eyes only, but the UK's Official Nintendo Magazine recently got a chance to look at this game and kindly shared their...
News Capcom Growing Less Keen on Wii?
Company focusing on HD consoles in future
Capcom have developed some of the greatest games on Wii - Resident Evil 4, Zack and Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure, Okami and more - but they haven't always been greeted by the sales they deserve. Sadly it seems Capcom may be growing tired of underwhelming returns on their products, if a recent interview...
News Monster Hunter Tri Eats Your Spare Time in April
Game licks lips, straightens napkin
We recently reported that Monster Hunter Tri's stomping beasts had been repelled until later in the year, but a recent press release from Capcom has shone a little light on the matter, putting the game down for an April release. In a similar deal to one made with Sony to promote PSP's Monster Hunter Freedom Unite,...
News DS Follow-Up to Feature Motion Sensor?
Wii design ethos to influence future handheld
Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun recently carried an interview with Nintendo president Satoru Iwata, discussing the company's hopes for the year ahead, and he discussed a few very brief titbits about the possible DS successor and its features. It will have highly detailed graphics, and it will be...
News Miis Race to the Finish in Sonic Racing
Fed up with Sonic? Use your own face, then
Whilst Avatar support was confirmed for Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing for some other formats, SEGA has just confirmed you'll be able to use your Mii characters to race through the Wii version. Mii racers will have an exclusive All-Stars move to tear up the track, giving them a fight chance against all the...
Podcast Episode 11 - Game of the Year 2009!
Who grabbed the shiny gold trophies? Results revealed inside!
We launched our Game of the Year Awards in the last podcast, and now the results have been cast and independently verified it's time to announce the victors and honour them in a stream of audio goodness. We'll reveal the games we at Nintendo Life believe to be 2009's best, with...
Tuesday5th Jan 2010
Review Faceball 2000 (Game Boy)
Fun Person Shooter
Shortly before Wolfenstein 3D kick-started interest in the genre, Xanth Software F/X treated Game Boy owners to Faceball 2000: a first-person shooter that saw players working their way through maze-like corridors battling giant smiling faces (Smiloids). Less violent than other FPSs, Smiloids disappear when defeated rather than...
News Ghostfire Games Announces Rage of the Gladiator Contest
Win a set of gladiator weaponry!
In celebration of the upcoming release of their Rage of the Gladiator WiiWare title, Ghostfire Games is holding a contest for those who've got what it takes to completely finish the game. All those who finish the game can submit their entry and then a winner will then be chosen from all entrants and will be awarded a...
News Broadmoor Inmates Receive Wiis
Inmates of UK-based Broadmoor Hospital receive Wii consoles and games to aid their rehabilitation
As gamers we’re well aware of the bad press our hobby often receives from the mainstream media but you can’t help but laugh at The Sun’s recent headline “Resident Wii-vil” and their accompanying picture caption “Yorkshire Ripper… Bowling...
News NBA Jam Might Be Making A Comeback
Only on Wii, says ESPN
Last month, eyebrows were raised and speculation began when EA Sports Community Manager Alain Quinto tweeted last month that the company had plans to announce a new game in January. Seems fairly pointless to announce a new Madden or FIFA in January, so it had to be something good. A quick check of the calendar shows that it is...
News Wii Getting Attacked By Movies In 3D
You know, the kind with glasses
Ever seen a movie in 3D and wished you could shoot the crap out of everything on screen? Developed for Wii by Panic Button Games and published by Majesco, Attack of the Movies 3D wants to put you right in the thick of the action of your favorite types of movies. Want to shoot aliens? Boom! Fight the machine army?...
News Dark Void Zero Landing This Month
Capcom continues 8-bit resurrection
While HD console owners can expect to play Capcom's Dark Void on the big screen soon, the company hasn't forgotten about DSi fans, with a portable version available to download to DSi in the coming weeks. Titled Dark Void Zero, the game takes its visual cues from classic 8-bit shooters such as Metroid as well as...
News Ubisoft Announces Racquet Sports for Wii
Get into the swing of things!
Ubisoft has just announced that they'll be releasing a brand new title for North American Wii owners called Racquet Sports. The game will be targeted at families looking to enjoy a little Wii playing time together by allowing them to take part in five different racquet sports games. You can check out a snippet from the...
News US Holiday Wii Sales Top 3 Million
Nintendo systems no slouches in Europe either
Official NPD numbers for December aren't revealed until January 14, but that hasn't stopped Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata from tooting the company's money-making horn. According to Iwata, Nintendo managed to sell over 3 million Wii's last month in the US, beating last year's 2.15 million and toppling the...
News Shadows Come Out To Play Next Monday
Deep Fried Entertainment gives MotionPlus its first WiiWare appearance
MotionPlus hasn't seen a whole lot of support since it launched last summer; we can count on one disfigured hand how many games out actually use it. Even though the peripheral is supported in a few big names coming down the pipeline, those don't help you now. But Deep Fried...
Monday4th Jan 2010
Review Intellivision Lives! (GameCube)
Relive the classics from one of gaming's pioneers.
When the Intellivision launched in 1980 it kicked off what is arguably the first console war with Atari's Video Computer System. Sure there was an earlier price war between Fairchild (the first company to mass-market a removable-cartridge-based games console) and Atari, but Mattel's approach was...
Amazon reveal the bestselling video games products of last year
Amazon.com have revealed the best selling products in the field of video games for 2009 and hardcore Mario fans will be pleased to learn that the Nintendo Wii has taken the top spot. 2009 was clearly Nintendo’s year with the Wii taking the top eight positions and nine of the top ten...
Nintendo Download 4 January 2010 (North America)
A quiet start to the new year.
Nintendo of America seems to have spent the last few weeks compensating for all those two- and three-game release weeks in the rest of the year recently, but for the first update of the New Year we're back to only a handful, some of which have already been released in Europe and Japan -- hopefully not a sign of a...
News Time Split: Chronos Twins DX Gets A Date
Time warp platforming hits US WiiWare next week
Our European readers may remember a little DS game called Chronos Twins. It never made it outside of the Old World borders, but back in June developers EnjoyUp announced their intentions to give the series a new lease of life on WiiWare. Now we have a much more solid time frame: January 11. Also known...
Sunday3rd Jan 2010
Review The Oregon Trail (DSiWare)
The most fun you can have with dysentery
For whatever reason, The Oregon Trail in its various incarnations, whether on DOS or an Apple II, holds a special place in the hearts of American gamers. Maybe it's because of the balanced risk/reward system and simple resource management. But more likely it's because The Oregon Trail was one of the few...
News Sega to Abandon Mature Wii Audience?
Dead Space sales scare publisher
Sega has been one of the forerunners when it comes to pushing mature games on the Wii. Unfortunately, it appears that poor sales of EA’s Dead Space Extraction - coupled with disappointing commercial performance of its own titles, such as MadWorld and House of the Dead: Overkill - has given Sega second thoughts on...
News EA to Release NFL Training Game?
To be used with yet another attachment...
Not too long ago here at Nintendo Life, we reported the patent of an odd looking American Football peripheral. Well it appears that this strange contraption may come to market with a rumour that EA Sports are to announce an NFL training game this month. Unlike a traditional Madden game, it is said that NFL...
Saturday2nd Jan 2010
News Club Nintendo Australia Left Behind
No new rewards in the foreseeable future
A few of our Australian readers have noticed a lack of updates in regards to the Australian Club Nintendo reward scheme, despite the new offers that the European and North American loyalists are now getting. In response we did our usual probing, firing some questions at the nice people from Nintendo...
News Nintendo Silence Talking Link
Nintendo issue take down notice for fan-made Zelda film
A Zelda film created by fans has been removed from the Internet at Nintendo’s request. The film, The Legend of Zelda: Hero of Time, is based loosely on Ocarina of Time, is around two hours long and features a number of Zelda favourites including Gorons, Saria and of course Link. Following the...
Friday1st Jan 2010
Review Tomena Sanner (WiiWare)
We don't know why...he's the greatest dancer...that we've ever seen!
Tomena Sanner is the kind of WiiWare title that gamers expect to come from Japan. You control the destiny of a faceless salaryman named Mr. Susumu (Japanese for "forward" or "continue") using only a single button press to help him navigate obstacles as he runs...
Talking Point Are Rereleases Killing the Retro Market?
We sink our teeth into plummeting retro prices
MTV Multiplayer recently published an article detailing the decline in value of sought-after videogame classics after their rerelease on download platforms such as Virtual Console and Xbox Live Arcade. While it chronicles mainly high- profile games such as Marvel vs. Capcom 2; it’s the Nintendo...
News Two More WiiWare Demos for Lucky Japan
Phoenix Wright and Pokémon for Japanese Wiis
It appears that Nintendo are continuing to back the new WiiWare demo service, as they have added two new titles: Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Aim! Light Adventure Team and Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. Although different in nature, both titles offer a massive amount of entertainment, whether it be rescuing...
